Asking people to give to a good cause isn’t anything new.  Going as far back as elementary school, we’ve all been asked to buy Girl Scout cookies or bring in “gently used” clothes for kids less fortunate than us.  And as adults, our office buddies often ask us (or we ask them!) to help by donating to the cause of their choice, often by sponsoring them in a walk or run. Just like banking, buying airline tickets, and sharing photos, new digital tools and platforms, especially leveraging social media, are making it easier to spread the word, donate, and volunteer for worthy causes.

In fact, online is becoming the channel of choice for many individual donors.  According to the 2011 Cygnus Donor Survey online giving is on the rise.  65% of survey respondents plan to make at least one gift online on a charity’s website this year.  And in 2010, even when donors received the initial information through direct mail, 29% went online to the charity’s website in order to contribute. This is great news for charities, since the web enables stronger emotional connection to drive donation activity through video and personal stories.  Convio, an online fundraising software platform, reported that online donations to its 1,300 clients topped $1.3-billion, more than a 40-percent increase.

Digital also enhances age-old grassroots fundraising tactics, in which charities organize individuals to go out and get their friends and colleagues involved.  Peer-to-Peer (P2P) or social fundraising is becoming big business (so to speak).  Instead of the traditional phone chain or walking your son or daughter through the neighborhood to sell candy bars, now we can virtually knock on doors through email campaigns, Facebook and Twitter.  As with other activities in our lives, peer influence can have a particularly strong impact when it comes to the causes we support. The Cygnus survey found that “While still nascent, a small percentage of followers (16%) said they were more likely to take an interest in following a not-for-profit if it appears on a friend’s following list. Also still small in number but showing promise for the future, 19% of social media account holders have made a first-time gift after following a not-for-profit and 17% have been influenced to give again to one they already support through following.”

There are a growing number of online resources to help nonprofits, companies and individuals take advantage of digital to further their cause including large initiatives from Google and Facebook Causes. As a start, Peter Deitz, a micro-philanthropy consultant, identified 19 group fundraising platforms that he thinks are worth knowing about in a webinar he conducted for the Nonprofit Technology Network.

But online tools aren’t just about fundraising, Sparked is a “micro-volunteering network” that connects individuals to non-profits looking for help.  You fill out a profile describing your skills and interests, and Sparked emails you a “nonprofit challenge” from organizations needing related support.  The UN Online Volunteering network connects volunteers from all over the world with organizations in need, with all contributions happening virtually.

There are also opportunities to leverage mobile in the non-profit arena.  LetGive has created Snooze, a mobile app that is “an alarm clock that lets you feel good about sleeping in! Hit the Snooze button and donate $0.25 to a charity of your choice.”  And we are working with the American Red Cross to develop an iPhone and iPad app that will enable their event street teams to process credit card donations in real time.

The key for the success of any digital non-profit initiative is to follow the same best practices used in for-profit efforts.  Know your audience and create a simple, engaging experience that matches expectations and allows them to achieve their goals quickly.

Now get out there and start giving!